Wan's Ubin Journal

Hi all, Today I will be sharing my thoughts, reflections and basically how the entire day went as I was joined by over 30 students, staff and alumni from the National University of Singapore (NUS) for a massive kampong clean-up in conjunction with NUS Day of Service (NUSDOS) 2019 last Saturday on September 7th, 2019. This clean-up did not take place on the last Saturday of the month; not because it was postponed or brought forward but because I was approached by Hidayu, Assistant Manager of Alumni Outreach and Engagement from the King Edward VII Hall of NUS some time back in June as they were planning an activity for residents of the hall to partake as part of their NUSDOS this year. I was pretty happy to know that my small kampong clean-up project had started reaching out and I am also thankful for Hidayu to give my community outreach a go for her residents as compared to probably thousands of other community projects available in Singapore and abroad. I was very exci...

Hi all, Today I would like to dwell back onto the personal aspects of WUJ as I share my findings about my late grandfather, Sulong bin Yunos (or more affectionately known by the people of Ubin as Awang Minyak). My late grandfather worked many jobs in the past, and today I would like to share with you about his life as Pulau Ubin's betel planter. The betel ( Piper betle ) or more commonly known as 'Daun sirih' in Malay, was something my mom associated my late grandfather with if I asked her to help describe him to me. What astounded me though was when everyone on Ubin whom I have interacted with, would also echo in saying that the betel is something they remembered my late grandfather of among many others; and it wasn't too difficult to see why. On Ubin, nearly every single villager would have their own garden in their plot of land. Some are known for owning simple fruit orchards, while others would also be remembered for their beautiful flowers. My late ...

Hi all, As some of you may have known, my 5-months contract working with NParks as a community liaison officer on Pulau Ubin has come to an end on September 2nd, 2019. I could write an entire post about everything in future - but for now I feel that summing it all up in a simple photo montage seems to be the more efficient method for this one; as the saying goes a picture speaks a thousand words. So here's a quick 5-minute photo montage video to highlight what I've done for Ubin during the past 5 months as the island's first community liaison officer. 5 months of service.  5 minutes of highlights.  1 unforgettable experience. Thank you for everything. And yes, WUJ now has a YouTube channel , too! But I'm not quite sure how often I'll use it but if you're keen in liking, commenting and subscribing on my YouTube channel, that'll be pretty neat too! May Pulau Ubin thrive again, with its people in its heart. -- Like WUJ on Facebook! h...

Hi all, This post is dedicated to all Singaporeans as we unite together as one to not only just celebrate our nation's 54th birthday on August 9th, 2019, but also to celebrate Singapore's bicentennial year. Photo courtesy of Majulah Community What does it mean to be a patriotic Singaporean?  Is it through the colourful displays of red and white in our neighbourhoods followed by the blasting of evergreen National Day songs? Is it through the need to work hard in our jobs so that Singapore continues to be the best in everything in the world? Well, both of those are actually quite correct as how many Singaporeans might say. But as for me, I believe being a patriotic Singaporean means to look out for one another as a strong closely-knit community. Over the past year, anyone who have followed WUJ would have known that it has grown so far from just a personal blog filled with my reflections, findings and discoveries to a platform where everyone can contribute b...

Hi All! One does not simply celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri without exercising the term, "Balik Kampong". And it was on June 16th, 2019 when for the first time in recent Ubin history, the descendants of the Pulau Ubin community returned back to their village to celebrate Hari Raya together in what is considered Singapore's last and final kampong. Over 350 former residents returned back to Pulau Ubin to celebrate Hari Raya together with their families, relatives, long-lost friends and loved ones; and it was such a moving, if not emotional experience for not just me but for everyone who was there. While the celebrations along with the various activities prepared for them would only start at 4pm, nearly over a hundred of them were already at the Malay kampong by 2.30pm, and there were even some who already stayed over the night before just out of pure excitement and anticipation! Welcome home! Photo courtesy of NParks Pulau Ubin Regardless of rac...